


The Volkov Files

by Harley_Quinn13



Series: The RE Chronicles [1]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Jealousy, Major Character Injury, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Raccoon City, Research, Spies & Secret Agents, Umbrella Corporation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-13 12:59:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17488484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harley_Quinn13/pseuds/Harley_Quinn13
Summary: Years after her initial disappearance, Leon Kennedy decides to hire Ada Wong to uncover what happened to a Russian spy known as Envy Snow, with the only lead on her being that her real name has something to do with the nickname Nat. With the discovery of her dead body just a few months before and an implication that Umbrella and Wesker were behind it, Leon wanted answers, no matter the cost.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for this chapter it's kinda bad but the first chapter is always the hardest for me to write.

  The room was dark aside from the lamp that was on in the living room. Leon sat at his kitchen table, watching as Ada took a folder out of her bag. He had to know, and she was one of the only people he trusted to tell him. She slid the folder over to him. He didn’t dare move; he couldn’t find it in him to do so. This folder held everything he wanted to know in it, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to face it.

  “Natalya Anastasia Volkov. She was the one right?” Leon didn’t say anything. Instead, he moved forward and finally opened the folder. There she was, her picture was sitting in the front of the folder. It was a rather artistic shot, taken with a camera that could only produce a black and white image, but he knew it was her. Sunglasses covered her beautiful blue eyes, her hair was up in a ponytail, as it was when Leon met her, and she wore a white trench coat. She seemed to be getting out of a car, the reason, for now, wasn’t important to Leon. Ada sat across from him and watched as he looked through the different papers she had dug up.

  “Her codename was Snow, the first name was just a combination of her first initial and last initial: Envy. But she told you her real name, or, at least, part of it. She knew she was a dead woman, Leon.” Ada told him.

  “She worked for Sove, I’d met her before. She was a good kid.” She continued. Leon stopped at a piece of notebook paper. Someone had a journal entry about Natalya; they’d seen her in her last days alive according to the date.

  “I found that one in the RPD. It was shoved into the back of an empty desk in the medical center. Whoever had it either wanted someone to find it or completely forgot about it.” Leon read it. He read it over and over. Now he knew that whoever had seen her last worked in the RPD as a doctor when he had just become a cop. He also knew their initials: I.G.

  He looked up at Ada, and she felt guilty. She knew how she was killed, but she couldn’t bring herself to hand that information over to Leon. He had been looking for the girl for so long, and he finally found her not too long ago, but what he found was exactly what he had feared.

  “Do you know who this could be?” He asked the spy. She knew alright. This I.G. had been working for Umbrella for years before “Envy” had come to town. I.G. loved a diabolical man, one that Ada wasn’t completely sure loved them back. She looked over at Leon, the expression on her face unreadable.

  “No.” She lied. Leon looked back down at the papers again as he began to sort through them. He went back to the first page. The page was rather wordy, and he figured he’d skim read over it until he had enough time to thoroughly examine the contents of the folder. Ada stood and made her way over to Leon.

  “Don’t get too worked up over this.” She said to him. He didn’t look at her, instead he got to work reading. She leaned down, offering only a hug to console him.

  She slipped out just as quietly as she slipped in.

  Leon glanced over at a page clipped to the left side of the folder. It listed all the information about Nat. Everything she didn’t tell him when they had met, things Nat would never get the chance to tell her.

  To begin with, she wasn’t anything special. Her father was an ex-government operative who had to be relocated to Kuyumba, Russia. His wife, Tanya, was pregnant at the time. Nat had lived with her parents until she was six, then she was taken by Sove.

  Leon quickly found himself flipping through the multiple photos of the things Natalya had done in training. Most of the photos seemed to document low tier assassinations carried out by the girl who had been renamed “Envy.”

 

2

 

  Pale hands reached out and grabbed a folder. Her blue eyes scanned over the words on the page briefly before she looked up and nodded at her superior. Without a word, the two parted and Natalya, under the name of Envy, was off to Raccoon City.

  The target was a woman by the name of Ada Wong, a rather pretty woman who had infiltrated Umbrella. From what Natalya could see, she was hired secretly. Her notes didn’t tell her about who had hired her though. She walked toward the cab that awaited her outside, her bags were already being shoved into the trunk.

  A large gust of wind blew through her coat and she held on to the scarf on her head. She brought her sunglasses down over her eyes and gripped the folder in her hands. The driver approached her and took her by the arm, leading her to the open backseat of the cab. A man stood on the curb across from them, his camera pointed directly at her. As she glanced over at him, he snapped the picture. She was unaware of the man.

  Natalya had gotten into the car and took the scarf off of her head. She ran her fingers through her platinum colored locks in a poor attempt to straighten her hair out.

  “Готовы?” “Ready?” Asked the driver. Natalya nodded.

  “да. Аэропорт, пожалуйста.” “Yes. Airport, please.”  She said to him. He said nothing as he put the car into drive. They drove away from her place of work, and Natalya was approaching her last few weeks of her life. She had absolutely no idea what she was getting herself into, she would learn sooner or later.

 

3

 

  The lights from the buildings gleamed in the darkness, guiding Natalya through unfamiliar streets. Her hotel was a few blocks away, and she didn’t plan on staying for too long. Hopefully she would obtain the information gathered by Ada Wong and be back on a plane within the next week, but Nat knew that wasn’t how it worked. It would take almost a month for her to get close enough to someone who was close enough to Ada, and it might take even longer for her to get info out of her.

  If she was lucky, Sove would get her some sort of an apartment. Possibly even invest in one so they wouldn’t have to pay so much for a hotel room. But for now, Nat was stuck staying at the City Royale, which was an interesting name to Nat.

  A few cars zoomed by, splashing in the puddles that had formed on the streets. Nat knew that she only had a few more blocks to go but she was getting tired, despite the brisk weather, although slightly chilly weather would never bother Nat, considering where she was from. She looked around, seeing a few people walking around on the streets at the late hour, and finding that there was a lack of cars out.  She was unsure of whether she’d continue on foot or simply wait for another cab, it was late and she was incredibly tired from flying over. However, she decided that waiting would take more time than needed and she’d just keep walking.

  The clock was ticking, for both Natalya and Raccoon city. There was only a week until the outbreak. And Natalya only had two more weeks to live.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

   This document has been translated from its original language.

_Leon, this is a report send by Natalya to Sove, there isn’t much to it but I thought it would be important to include. It looks like she was in town a few days before everything went to shit._

_-Ada_

  Mission report:

  September 20th, 1998

  The city is filled with ignorant people. And the people who do know are a definite danger to me. I have to keep on my feet and find Ms. Wong before it’s too late.

  I had heard whispers of her being around the police department a lot as of late, and if I’m lucky I can track her down. No signs of Umbrella interference yet. The Spencer Mansion has been destroyed, though not by me. I’ve managed to get my hands on a map of the Spencer Mansion and everything below, it should be sent soon.

 

    _(Unknown file: cannot translate)_

  It seems like there was an Umbrella lab below the mansion. I’ll be going to the Arklay Mountains to investigate in a few days, hopefully after I’m able to trade information with Ada Wong.

 

 

2

 

  Leon turned the page over, making sure that there wasn’t anything on the back of the page. When he saw there was nothing he put the page aside and moved on to the next one. It was another Mission Report, this time dated as “September 23rd, 1998.” Leon felt his breath hitch. He knew that date well; it was the day before his first day of work. So many people died.

  He knew that the reports were getting closer to the day they met, but he wasn’t sure if she gave mission reports then.

 

3

 

  Mission Report:

  September 23rd, 1998

 

  All the reporters are talking about a fight that broke out at a football game. I changed to every channel possible, and all of them had interrupted the programs for “Breaking News.” The man next to me told me to ignore it, but I knew that he was trying to stop me from connecting the dots. The man worked for Umbrella; one of their soldiers, his name was Bryant Miller. When he was asleep I went through his things. He had maps and even a radio tuned in to their frequency. He was kind enough, but a moron. I have the frequency here:

300.49 x

786.92 y

  When listening in, I heard them mention something about an Antarctic base. Perhaps it would be in our best interest to send someone over to investigate further.

  Bryant has been subdued.

  I have yet to gain access to viruses.

 

3

 

  Natalya heard Bryant shift from the other room and quickly turned the radio down. He groaned slightly, seemingly from some sort of dream he was having, and shifted again. Natalya held her breath, hoping he’d go back to sleep and think she had left to go home. She listened closely as the springs from the mattress creaked and the blankets moved again. Looking over her shoulder into the other room, she could see the outline of Bryant in the soft blue glow of the TV set up in his room. He was laying on his stomach, his face facing the sliding glass doors to the left. She rolled her eyes and silently wished the radio were quieter, but she knew that this was its lowest volume setting. She listened in as the soldiers went on about taking out a man named Birkin, a name that might be useful later on. Natalya wrote his name down in the notepad she had in front of her. Nothing else seemed to be important.

  She reached over and turned the radio off, the green glow from it disappearing and leaving Natalya in the dark. The apartment was quiet then, and she sat in the dark, listening to make sure that Bryant wasn’t going to wake up. She stood up and pulled the sleep shirt Bryant provided closed as she shivered. She held her arms close to her as she tried her best to button up the shirt, this time letting her guard down slightly. She looked around wearily, hoping that Bryant would just stay asleep.

  The floorboards let out small, muffled creaks as Natalya cautiously made her way to the kitchen. She’d get herself something to drink and then she’d get ready to go.

  She placed her hands on the cold, marble counter and leaned on it as she reached up to grab a glass. All the liquor the man had wasn’t exactly her tastes, but she figured a small glass of wine couldn’t hurt. She reached into another cabinet, her hands gently grazing over the many bottles of wine. She wasn’t sure what she was going to have yet, but she’d have to pick the most expensive one, just to spite the man. She noticed one that fit her ideal image. Just as she reached out to grab it, she heard the click of a gun.

  “I wouldn’t pick that one, it’s way too nice for a cheap whore like you.” Bryant rasped. Natalya looked at him out of the corner of her eye, staying as calm as she could.

  “Maybe next time you should keep your notes with you.” He said to her. She smiled and let out a breathy laugh.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She said, trying to play dumb. The man pressed the barrel of the gun to her temple, the cold metal freezing her warm skin.

  “How adorable. I heard the radio too, sweetheart.” He explained. Natalya sighed, realizing that she couldn’t talk her way out of this one. She reached for the gun, moving fast and gracefully, making sure the gun wasn’t pointed at her when he fired it. The gunshot echoed leaving the two’s ears ringing.

  Bryant swung at her, and she ducked, ripping the gun out of his right hand in the process. She swept her right leg and knocked Bryant down onto his back, but he was quick to recover. He rolled away just before Natalya’s leg came down on his face and grabbed her leg, dragging her toward him. She fell backward, but as she was falling she managed to knock over a container full of knives. Bryant tries dragging her toward him, but Natalya held onto the counter for dear life. Her hand found the handle of a knife. Bryant grabbed her arm and she swung at him with the butcher’s knife. He dodged the first two swings, but barely managed to dodge the third.

  The knife sliced through his cheek, drawing a bit of blood. His hand came up to it and he observed the damage. When he looked up, Natalya could see, even in the dark, how angry Bryant was. He ran at her, tackling her to the ground. She hit her head on the knob of a drawer, which effectively stunned her. Bryant managed to take the knife from her, but he threw it away.

  Natalya came back to her senses and struggled in Bryant’s grasp. He smiled at her.

  “Oh no honey, I’m taking you to Umbrella. After all, isn’t that why you came home with me in the first place?” He taunted, not realizing that Natalya was reaching for the gun next to them. Her hand wrapped around it and she prepared to shoot. Bryant stared at her, looking in her eyes.

  “Actually.” He begins, reaching up to touch his cheek again, feeling the burn at his touch.

  “I think I might rough you up some more first.” He told her as he turned around to look for the knife. Natalya held the gun up.

  “Bryant.” She called out, her accent coming off as thick. Bryant looked at her immediately, feeling fear at the tone of her voice.

  “Thank you.” She said before pulling the trigger. Her ears began to ring again, but now she knew that Bryant was dead. She pushed his dead body off of her and used the next few moments to regain her composure. She knew that the cops would be there soon, so she’d have to get dressed fast and get the hell out of there.

  As she entered Bryant’s room for the last time she grabbed her notes.

  Natalya only had eleven days to live.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOOO REmake 2!!!!!!!!!

   Natalya stared at the man in black. He stood there, a woman on his arm, conversing with her target. The man she was trying to get to was named John Clemens, and from what she could gather he was rather close to Ada Wong, her boyfriend, as a matter of fact. The man wore sunglasses, even inside, despite how formal the event seemed. At least his girlfriend knew how to dress for the event. Her hair was back in a braid and she wore a slimming, black gown. Natalya figured it was to match her man’s aesthetic.

  The woman clung to his side, like she was afraid of losing him. Natalya figured that if she could get the girl away from him, she could talk to him and figure out a better way to get to Mr. Clemens. Not to mention, if the man himself was working for Umbrella she could uncover a lot more than she could ever hope for with just Bryant, Clemens, and Ada.

  The man glanced over at Natalya and whispered something in his date’s ear. She looked over out of the corner of her eye before sighing and nodding. He smiled at her before guiding her away, in the opposite direction. Natalya stood, waiting to make a move, waiting to make sure that the coast was clear.

  She began to walk over to Clemens, avoiding other people attending the gala just to get to him. She needed this information, even if she were to just talk to him. Ada, she had to ask about Ada.

  The mystery man returned, but this time, his femme fatale was nowhere to be seen. Natalya stopped dead in her tracks.

  “Can we help you?” Clemens asked. Natalya suddenly felt her confidence wash away. She took a deep breath, staring at the man out of the corner of her eye.

  “Just felt like saying hi.” She stated, her accent nearly nonexistent. Of course, she still spoke with an accent, she found it to be an easier conversation starter. Both men were taller than Natalya, and both had blonde hair. Although, the man with the sunglasses had lighter hair than Clemens. She stuck out her hand.

  “I’m Envy. I’m new in town.” She introduced. Clemens shook her hand, but the other man stood there and watched the two silently. He turned around and looked up at the upper level.

  Several people walked around up there, some walking arm in arm with each other. Conversations buzzed all around them as people drank and danced. His date looked down on the crowd, her vivid green eyes focused on the platinum blonde below. She giggled and flirted with both men, despite not knowing that they were both taken, or at least she thought. She felt her jealousy take hold, but she had faith in her lover. He really didn’t give her any reason to be jealous, or, at least, not yet.

  He looked up at her, as if to say “stand down.” He knew that she was ready to attack, he knew her well, trained her too. He knew what she looked like when she was about to go in for the kill, and that was definitely the look she was giving. Hell, her finger was practically already on the trigger.

  “I’ve met your girlfriend, very nice woman. Quiet though.” Natalya said to Clemens. He nodded.

  “Yes, Ada is quite the woman, isn’t she?” He asked. She nodded. The three began to move into the hallway, with the mystery man leading the way. His date became alarmed. She leaned over the railing as she watched the three leave the ballroom, and not only were they leaving, but her lover was leading the way, his hand on the other woman’s back.

  His date turned around, trying to calm herself down.

  Natalya continued on, talking with Clemens through the halls as his friend stalked closely behind them. People stood around, against the green walls of the venue, Champaign glasses loosely gripped in their hands. Their conversations served as nothing more than a low buzz to fill the sounds of the halls. Their laughing did nothing more than mask the conversation between Natalya and Clemens.

  “I think, if you got to really meet her, you and Ada would get along well.” Clemens told her. Natalya giggled to herself.

  “You really think so?” She asked. Clemens nodded, his face seemed to become more red as the night went on. Perhaps, Natalya thought, that’s why the man with the sunglasses was there. Clemens worked for Umbrella and they couldn’t afford having their information leaked in such an… undignified manner. Clemens was intoxicated, that much Natalya could tell. With the right circumstances, she could extract information out of him and maybe, just maybe, cut out the middle man and get back home.  

 

2

 

  _What happened next_ , Natalya wrote, _was rather shocking to me. I assumed this mystery man who seemed to guard Clemens with his life would have been more loyal than what he demonstrated to me that night. Oh that night. That was the night all hell broke loose in Raccoon City. I couldn’t get home, all the airports there were shut down._

_But that mystery man, as I was saying, had tried to seduce me. The reason, however, I was unsure of. It certainly wasn’t because I was leading him on, or at least I hope I wasn’t. I was hardly speaking to him all night, then he decided that he couldn’t take it anymore. Unbeknownst to him was that I had already seen his girlfriend, or the woman who I assumed was his girlfriend, go up into the upper levels of the venue. I assumed she was there to take me out. I’m still not sure if my assumption was correct, but I do not plan on finding out._

_After I got Ada’s phone number from Clemens, he left to go join the party again. I assumed the mystery man would follow, but he stayed. I went to leave, but he reached out and grabbed my hand, stopping me from moving any further. I was suspicious, to say the least. His strength was unmatched. I don’t think, in all my years working, I had met anyone as strong as him. If I was soberer at the time, I would have been able to tell that he was suspicious of me, although I doubt that even the soberest person could tell with the glasses he wore. He was emotionless, and those were the scariest people to deal with on the field._

_Anyone could tell you that. If you can’t see how they felt or what they were thinking, they were a danger. You would have to watch your tongue around people like them; people like him._

_I’m not proud to admit that I fell for his strange charm. He was a very dominant presence, which was intimidating to say the least. But I went along with it. I wanted to see what I could find in his pockets when we were through._

_I didn’t have time to do that though. People rushed through the halls as I sat on a couch in what appeared to be an office, basking in whatever afterglow there was after we were finished. He was seated at a desk, his feet up, his hands folded over his chest. I heard the commotion and jumped up. I don’t know what good getting a head start would have done for me, seeing as I was unarmed for the night. I opened the door to see a sea of people running._

_A woman stopped in front of the door, pausing to warn the mystery man (who had just joined me at the door) and I of the attacks that had been happening in the city. I was aware of them, but apparently the numbers had risen dramatically, and now monsters were on the loose. I felt a brief pang of fear before getting my head together. I knew I had to get back to my hotel room and pack up so I could board a flight and get the hell out of there. I had the information I needed, for the most part, and I refused to risk my life to find Ada, who might have already been dead._

_The mystery man was already on the phone, speaking lowly to someone. I assumed it was his date for the night who was last seen in the ballroom. Perhaps he did care about her, I would never get to know. He was gone before I knew it and I was left in the room, scavenging for whatever items I could find so I could fight my way back to my hotel room._

3

 

  The rookie cop had just blown another head off of what used to be an innocent civilian. These people, if that was what he could call them, had been chasing him down since he got separated from Claire. Now, all he could do was fight back.

  Labored breaths and the sound of heels clicking echoed through the empty hallway. Leon turned around quickly to see a woman running at him. He lifted his flashlight in her direction to see that she was, indeed, human. The infected trailed behind her, arms out and reaching, trying to grab at her. He raised his gun, which alarmed the girl.

  “Get down!” He shouted. She did as he said, getting down and sliding across the floor so she could maintain her distance from the infected. Leon shot twice, knocking down one zombie. Now all he had to do was get the other. He lined up his shot, and just as he was about to pull the tripper, three more shots echoed through the hall. He looked down at the girl, who was currently kneeling down with her gun up and pointed. He watched silently as the zombie fell over. She looked up at him, smiling and panting.

  Leon held out his hand and he helped her up.

  “Thanks.” She said to him, her accent coming off strong. He smiled.

  “No problem.” He replied.

  “I’m Leon.”

  “Envy.”


	4. Chapter 4

  Leon looked at Envy as she stood, bent over and catching her breath. She was rather tall and pale, her hair matching that same snow white skin. She wore a blue, zip-up vest and a white skirt that was already splattered with blood. She looked at Leon through her long, doe-like lashes with eyes that resembled icy water. Her lips were parted slightly as her chest rose and fell, taking in deep breaths. However, Leon could see the deep red gashes on her upper arm that contrasted with her pale skin and stained her gloves.

  “We have to get out of here.” She breathed. Leon nodded before pointing at her arm. She looked down at her arm, lifting it slightly to observe it. He got down onto one knee, leading Natalya to do the same.

  “I’m aware. I didn’t have time to patch it up, as you can tell.” She said before gesturing to the dead zombies on the ground. Leon reached into a pouch on his hip and retrieved a small can. He shook it before holding out his hand. Natalya eyed it suspiciously then, slowly, she held out her arm, allowing Leon to take it. He began to spray her wound with a cold, scentless liquid that stung slightly. Natalya winced, shocked by the sudden sensation. Leon finished up quickly and reached into his pouch again to grab bandages, which he promptly began to wrap around her arm.

  “Now we can get out of here.” He said. Natalya looked at him, silently figuring him out as if he were some sort of puzzle for her to solve. He was bright eyed and painfully optimistic, young too. She feared that he was a danger to himself; that he’d end up getting killed. She knew it wasn’t fair, but it was how the world worked, no matter what field of work you were in.

  Natalya’s eyes glanced at the letters on his chest: **RPD**. She smiled in a fake manner, hoping that he knew what he was doing.

  “Then lead the way.” She said. Leon took her hand and helped her up to her feet. She brought her other hand up to grasp at her wounded arm and watched as Leon cautiously walked down the hall, flashlight and gun pointed in the same direction. He seemed capable enough, but Natalya wasn’t quite ready to trust someone she just met.

  Puddles splashed beneath their heels as the walls groaned and creaked. Leon was ready to fire, because he knew at any second a zombie could round the corner. Being ready meant life or death. Natalya felt incredibly vulnerable standing behind Leon. She didn’t have a flashlight of her own and the light of his wasn’t enough to illuminate their surrounding area. Something could sneak up behind her and she’d be done for.

  _Perhaps that is his plan,_ she thought to herself, _maybe he knows and he’s leading me to my doom._ Of course, Natalya knew that this was just paranoia. Years of being a spy took a toll on how one views the world and the people living in it. Now that Raccoon City was having its own mini apocalypse, this thought process was amped up to one hundred.

  Normally she wouldn’t be so reliant on someone, but now? Now that she was out of bullets and wounded? Now she would certainly rely on someone, as long as she knew that they were trustworthy.

  “How much longer?” She asked him. He glanced back at her, opening his mouth to reply, but he was stopped by the sounds of growling. He whipped his head around and focused on the rotting creature in front of him. He backed up slightly, the hand with the gun coming down and out to the side so he could shield Natalya.

  “Get back!” He yelled to her, and she obliged without question. The zombie reached out at Leon, its fingers flexing and moving in unnatural ways as it attempted to grab at his warm flesh. Natalya drew a knife. It was a small pocket knife that was easily concealed by her thigh-high boots. It fit easily into her hand and remained hidden there until she knew what Leon was doing.

  The zombie lunged, screeching hysterically. Leon dodged its pathetic attempts at catching him and re-aimed his gun, pointing it directly at its head. He fired, blood splattered everywhere as well as chunks of skull, but the creature was not deterred. Natalya backed up against the wall, watching wearily as the zombie went in for another attack. It grabbed Leon by the shoulders and prepared to bite, but he pulled a knife and buried it deep into the monster’s chest and pushed it away. He aimed again and took two more shots, both hitting the head of the zombie. This time it fell, collapsing to the ground with a loud _THUD!_

  Leon walked over to it and grabbed his knife back before turning his attention to Natalya.

  “Come on. I don’t think this thing is gonna stay down for long.” He told her, and she obeyed, running toward him, her footsteps echoing in the quiet corridor. She found herself grabbing ahold of his shoulder, allowing him to completely lead the way. They reached a door and Leon slowly opened it, peeking through the crack to be sure the coast was clear. They entered the main hall of the RPD, it was empty save for Marvin, as it usually was. Natalya broke away from Leon, looking around as he rushed over to Marvin, who was behind a screen, laying down on one of the couches.

  He stopped and glanced back at Envy.

  “Hey, the way out’s over here. I just gotta get Marvin and put this last piece in the thing and then we can get outta here.” He told her, gesturing to where the giant statue of a woman stood. Natalya nodded and followed him over to the back of the hall, where she finally saw the man Leon was referring to as “Marvin.” He sat on a green couch, holding his right side, which was bleeding profusely. Leon placed the last medallion into a slot on the base of the statue, and the base shifted, revealing a tunnel below the floor. Natalya stared in awe, shocked that such a place would have secret tunnels. Although, she supposed that wasn’t the oddest thing she had come across in America, especially in this city.

  Leon had been a bit preoccupied, arguing with Marvin as Natalya stared into the depths of the RPD. Things got more heated behind her, but she wouldn’t realize that until she heard a gun being cocked. She turned around to see Marvin holding Leon by gunpoint.

  “It’s on you now… just go!” Marvin told Leon. Leon simply stood there, looking at the dying man. Natalya came up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

  “I understand.” Leon said before touching Natalya’s hand and turning around. The two walked down the steps together and took their first steps to reuniting with the outside world. Before they entered the tunnel below, Leon took one last look at Marvin.

 

2

 

_The rookie cop, as I had heard some people call him, whether through notes or actual survivors, was a kind man who had helped me escape the RPD. I fear that, had I not met him, I might have been the only living person left in that place. I might not have made it without Leon._

_He led me into a room below the RPD, which, might be in your interest to investigate after this. There was a small model of the station on a desk, and, it didn’t seem to have any significance, despite how many times I searched it._

_Leon and I made it into some sort of boiler room, but that was when we got separated. He went ahead of me after we heard a noise. I had already picked up some ammo and reloaded my weapons, so I went to investigate. Something happened and a tunnel collapsed behind me, the last thing I remembered before that was the sounds of metal getting smashed in. I supposed maybe some sort of foundation involving pipes broke and it caused the doorway to crumble, but I wasn’t sure, so I continued on._

3

 

  Natalya picked up a box of handgun ammo and quickly loaded it into her gun, following Leon closely into a boiler room. It was large, and, despite its size, was rather cramped. The floors were metal and echoed loudly as they walked. Steam rose from a machine below them, creating a thick fog that temporarily blinded the two. She gripped her gun tighter.

  There was a loud grunt, followed by booming footsteps above them. More sounds resonated throughout the chamber, unsettling moaning that communicated pain. Leon lifted his gun again and looked back at Natalya.

  “What was that?” She asked. Leon didn’t answer, instead, he continued to travel down the path. When the noises didn’t stop, Natalya froze in her tracks.

  “Envy…” Leon began. Natalya lifted a finger to her lips.

  “I’m going to investigate.” She told him. He wanted to tell her not to, but he knew it would do no good. It took him a few moments, but eventually he nodded. Natalya turned around and ran off in the other direction in search of some stairs.

  Leon continued on the path he was taking before.


	5. Chapter 5

  _Transcript (translated):_

_September 24 th, 1998_

_N: Leon and I were separated. I can hear the sounds of metal hitting metal from down the corridor. I might need backup, I might need to be extracted from the city; there aren’t many people left in the city and I haven’t seen Ms. Wong anywhere. Not a trace of her._

_P: Who’s Leon?_

_N: A man I met. He knows his way around the city; a police officer._

_P: What does he know of us?_

_N: Not much. He doesn’t even know my real name._

_P: Good. I’m afraid, NV, that we cannot extract you from the city until you find Ms. Wong. You have to trade information._

_N: I don’t even know if she’s alive!_

_P: That doesn’t matter, find her and get the information. If you cannot do that you are useless to us._

_N: So if I don’t find her you’ll leave me to die here?_

_P: I’m afraid so. You’ll be a liability._

_N: Fine._

_P: Report back when you find the target._

_N: Yes, sir._

_(Phone line ringing.)_

2

 

  The halls were dark and quiet, save for the brief shuffling of feet coming from a zombie or two. Natalya held up a dying flashlight, one that she found on the body of a dead officer. From what she could tell, she was in a prison. Cells could be seen to her left and right, some occupied by zombs (as Natalya liked to call them), some not. They would reach through the bars, their bloody hands grabbing for her even though she was just out of their reach. She wanted to shoot them, just to be sure they didn’t get out and try to kill her later, but she knew that she was low on ammo again. Despite being in a police station, ammo was pretty scarce.

  Then she saw them, a figure, a shadow moving in the darkness. She could see from their silhouette that they were wearing heels, and assumed that this person was a woman. She hid behind the wall, peaking around the corner every now and then to watch what they were doing. The woman opened the gate down the hall, entering and talking to someone. Natalya wanted to move out, but knew that she couldn’t. Silently she hoped that this woman was Ada, but she remembered Leon mentioning a woman named Claire, so the chance was slim.

  She could hear two voices vaguely. They spoke in a whisper; one was a deeper voice that sounded vaguely familiar, and the other was the distinct voice of a woman. The man’s voice rose, claiming that he didn’t even know her name. Then Natalya heard it, he announced his name. “Leon Kennedy.” Natalya could feel her hopes rise and immediately became relieved now that she knew that he was okay. Heels clicked as the woman began walking down the hall.

  “Name’s Ada.” She told him, her heels clicking loudly as she walked off. Natalya pressed her back against the wall and began to move away from the corner. The target was there, but she needed to see Leon again, just to make sure he was actually okay. She found a door and opened it, which led her into a closet. She hid and waited for the target to move, then she’d follow her… after she talked to Leon. She opened the door again to watch where Ada went, and once she was sure she was gone she moved toward the corner again.

  She saw him standing there, reading a paper. She grabbed ahold of the bars on the gate and tried to push it open, only to realize it was locked. Leon turned around after he heard the gate rattle, gun pointed at her. His face softened as soon as he realized it was her.

  “Leon?” She called out. He smiled at her.

  “Envy.” He breathed out before immediately rushing over, stopping just in front of the gate.

  “How’s your arm?” He asked. She smiled.

  “Fine.” She reassured him. She looked over him, making sure that he didn’t have any wounds on him. He reached out to push on the gate, which didn’t budge even on his side. Natalya shook her head.

  “It’s locked.” She told him. He sighed and took a step back before drawing his gun again.

  “I’ll come find you.” He promised her. She shook her head again before looking behind her, eyeing the corridor Ada had gone down.

  “Don’t worry about me. I have something else I need to do. Maybe we could meet up in the parking garage.” She told him. He looked over his right shoulder after hearing a groan, then he looked back to her.

  “Yeah. Deal.” Natalya then ran off, attempting to catch up with Ada. Leon was left wondering what it was she had to do; and what she was doing coming from where Ada had walked in.

  Natalya ran down the hallway to her left before coming to a door.

 

3

 

  _I had tracked Ada the best I could in the prison but I ended up losing her. I’ll admit, perhaps seeing Leon beforehand was a mistake, but I needed to know if he was okay. When I had met him, I was sure he was doomed. But, as time went on and as he fought, I realized that I was routing for him. I wanted to see him succeed in this unfair world. We would grow closer as time went on, after we had reunited of course._

_As time would go on, I would fall for him. He was so optimistic; it was almost contagious. He tried his best to protect the survivors, and, if I weren’t in the predicament I am in as I write this, I would have loved to see him continue on as an officer. He had the heart for it, and he wore it on his arm for the world to see._

_I just wish I could get out of here, but I can’t right now or they’d find me. And I know he’ll never see this, but I wish I could have gotten on the train with him and his friend Claire. I knew that they were following me, that man and his woman, so I knew not to lead them to the last few survivors. They’d kill them and then me._

_So here I am, writing this as some sort of sick memoir. I’m hiding in a locker, shining my flashlight on this small notebook that I found on a nearby desk. I just wanted to explain how I got here, possibly even what led up to my death, if this should go in that direction. And I want-again, even though I know he won’t see it-Leon to know that, despite how short our time was together, how wonderful he was as a person. Any other person would have left me to die in the station, but you helped me._

4

 

  Leon clutched the note in his hand, crumpling the sides slightly as he read. He couldn’t believe it. He knew she was killed, he saw her body on his last mission but… she had died years ago. The people who had killed her were tracking her in Raccoon City and she refused to go with him because she knew that they’d come for her and kill them all.

  Leon knew that Wesker was involved. He had to have been, why else would he leave her body for him to see? But the thing that got him was, they preserved her body. They had planned to use her for something, whether it really was just to taunt him or for something else.

  He knew that she had cared for him though, and that on its own was something to behold. Despite how emotionless she seemed, he could tell that she was fond of him. Although, from the way she worded it, it seemed like it was more of a fascination with him. Now, with this new evidence, he questioned what his life would have been like had the Raccoon City incident never happened. Would she still have come to Raccoon City to look for Ada? Would they still have met? What would have happened if Umbrella wasn’t after her? If Wesker wasn’t?

  So many questions. All without answers.

 

5

 

  She had lost Ada, but she gained a stalker. It was the man. The man from the party. He had come for her. Natalya was still unsure of the reason, but she knew it wasn’t good. Perhaps he knew who she was, possibly since the party, but now he was going to get rid of her. She picked up her pace, walking faster, acting like she didn’t know he was there. He walked at the same pace, allowing her to get some distance between her, but she was a tricky one. The next zomb she saw she’d throw at him and make a run for the parking garage so she could wait for Leon.

  He was silent. Every part of him was silent, even the way he walked. Natalya didn’t like that.

  She turned another corner, and, for once in her life she hoped a zomb would be there. There wasn’t. So she kept walking, searching every nook and cranny for ammo or other valuable items. She found a hip pouch just a few minutes earlier, and now she was looking for other things. For example, a key card so she could get the hell out of the station and out into the streets so she could lose this creep.

 

   Natalya only had ten days left to live, and now the reaper is following her.


	6. Chapter 6

  “Leon!” Natalya shouted. He turned around immediately, watching as she struggled to run. Ada stopped dead in her tracks and watched as a familiar face ran up to them. Envy Snow, she knew her and she knew that Envy was a codename. She eyed the woman wearily, but didn’t bother to say anything to Leon, who seemed relieved and overjoyed to see her.

  “You made it.” He breathed. Natalya nodded and looked over at the woman in the trench coat: Ada. She stood at the mouth of the garage, staring the two down behind her dark glasses. Natalya, for once, felt like she couldn’t be bothered with the mission. Ada was there, yeah that was great, but she didn’t feel rushed to get info out of her. She didn’t want to do the tradeoff yet, especially if it meant leaving without Leon.

  Leon followed her gaze to Ada.

  “Oh, Envy, this is Ada. She’s helping me get out of here.” Natalya stepped forward, smiling at the woman she knew was a spy.

  “I know… we’ve met.” Ada didn’t say a word to Envy. She knew that she had to do an exchange, but she knew she couldn’t do it there. Not in front of Leon. There was a loud crashing noise from the corner of the garage which put Leon on edge. He began to move forward slowly, which in turn caught the attention of Ada and Natalya.

  “I think we should get going.” He said, moving ahead of the two spies. Ada was next to get moving, but Natalya stood there staring at the wall that began to crumble as something large moved through it, going deeper into the building and moving away from them. She finally turned around to follow Leon and Ada after being sure the thing that caused the hole wasn’t going to follow them.

  The streets were as she remembered them: wet and simultaneously on fire with the infected hiding behind every corner. Ada took the lead, guiding the other two through the dilapidated roads to-what they hoped to be-freedom. Leon stood protectively in front of Natalya, despite her own urge to protect him and her ability to protect herself. She would never admit it aloud, but she thought it was sweet.

  Zombies toppled over crashed cars as they attempted to get to the group. Natalya would try not to jump when she heard one scream or groan, but, especially when it was a scream, she couldn’t help it. Ada walked coolly and calmly through the streets, clearing whatever she could with what little ammo she had left, leading Leon and Natalya to do the same. Gunshots would echo through the open world, which, despite what they were aiming to do, would draw more zombies to their location. They would come in droves, lunging at the group when they got close enough. Natalya grasped her pocket knife in her hand and went in for the kill. She figured if she could stab it in the head they’d die. This plan, however, only worked for certain zombies. Natalya quickly realized this as one grabbed ahold of her arm and prepared to bite into it. She panicked and tried to rip her arm away, but to no avail. Her free hand fumbled for her gun.

  Her gloved fingers kept grazing the handle, but in a panic, she was unable to grab ahold immediately. Luckily, as they were walking, Leon heard the commotion. Natalya had finally managed to get ahold of herself and the gun and promptly raised it. She was still fending off the creature, trying her best to keep its gnashing teeth away from her arm. Leon rushed over, his gun aimed and at the rotting person. Natalya had managed to get her knife free with her gun hand (on accident, of course), but in the process, she had lost her hold on the creature’s head. It was about to bite down, when two gunshots rang through her ears.

  The bullets had torn through the back of the zombie’s head, shattering its rotting teeth in the process. Its grasp loosened around her wrist as it fell backward, still gurgling and growling. Natalya took a moment to process what had just happened, but Leon grabbed her shoulder, turning her around to look at him and Ada.

  “We gotta keep moving.” He reminded her as more of the infected closed in around the trio.

 

2

 

**They were in a lab. An underground one. Leon had just gotten Ashley back, who hadn’t shut up since they got there.**

**Hell, she hadn’t shut up at all.**

**She was complaining about something he had said, something that was supposed to be a joke, but he supposed that didn’t matter to her. Scrap metal laid below them, on the ground glistening in the sunlight that leaked through the large opening above them… the one that they fell through. Leon was sure there was nothing else there, right?**

**Wrong.**

**He saw it as he observed their surroundings, laying there like some abandoned doll. Hair, as pale as it had been before. He felt himself go cold as his heart sped up. He cautiously approached the object**

**_(or person)_**

**in question, hoping that whatever**

**_(or whoever)_**

**it was hadn’t been laid there as a trap. As he grew closer, he realized that it, indeed, wasn’t a what… but a who. He couldn’t help but gasp in shock, unable to suppress what he had been feeling. He had been looking for her for seven years, and he found her… but…**

**She was as pale as she had been when he met her, but with more hints of grey in her complexion. Her mouth hung open, her lips looked like pale rose petals. He didn’t want to believe it. He couldn’t believe it. She was smart, she knew what she was doing. She survived that hell only to be killed in the end. He bent down and placed his hand on her shoulder, allowing the cold flesh to come into contact with his own warm skin. She was dead alright… but for how long had she been dead?**

**It looked as if she had been killed recently; surely if she were killed in 1998 she would have decomposed by then, right? Everything was still intact. Her skin was flawless still, save for the puncture mark on her neck. Leon ran his hand over it, feeling the bump as if touching it would tell him what happened to her, but alas, nothing. She laid on piles of scrap metal, her body contorted in a beautiful way.**

**She laid with her head facing her left, her hair covering the lower part of her face and falling into her mouth. Her right arm was raised beside her head; her hand was curled into a loose fist, while the other laid over her midsection. Her legs were bent, both facing the left with one foot underneath the knee of the leg on top. She looked as if she were sleeping, but Leon knew that was far from the truth.**

**Why was she there? Who would have done this to her? Who could he turn to and trust enough to find him these answers?**

**“Leon!” Ashley screamed out, drawing his attention away from the corpse of the woman he once loved.**

3

 

  A man and woman watched a wall of screens, each with a different image being displayed. The woman’s head turned in the direction of one particular screen before leaning down to whisper something in the ear over her lover.

  “That one.” She told him, her vivid green eyes glancing over at the far left of the room and pointing to the lower image. He brought the surveillance footage up and into the front, allowing it to overtake all the other screens. It showed Leon as he observed the corpse of Natalya, as he searched her for any signs of life. The woman giggled to herself, so quietly that her lover didn’t seem to notice. She watched, completely fascinated by what the man on screen was doing. He knew she was dead, right? She had been dead for years, but they knew. They knew that he was there, and they had dropped her preserved body onto the pile of trash for him to find, because he’d never know. Not like they did, at least. He’d never learn what had happened, he’d never know why they dropped her there to be found by him. He’d never understand why she had killed the spy herself.

  “Looks like he’s found our present.” The man stated in his usual monotone. He laced his fingers together in front of him and continued to watch, also intrigued. He wondered what Leon would do. How would he react? Would he be able to piece this one together? Or, perhaps, he would be stuck wondering what happened for the rest of his life. It was a game to the duo; one created through jealousy and manipulation as well as their mutual love and respect… but this? This was different.

  “He has…” She agreed. She then looked down at her lover and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

  “I love you, you know.” She uttered in his ear. He turned his head slightly, facing the direction her voice was coming from.

  “I’m aware.” He responded with a hint of amusement in his voice. She laughed and stood up straight.

  “I’m going back to the labs, come down when you’re finished… and tell me what Mr. Kennedy does next.” Her lover nodded in agreement and she left promptly, allowing him to return to the screens.

 

4

 

  “Thanks for saving me.” She said to him in a voice barely above a whisper. Leon smiled.

  “It was no problem, really.” Ada, who was becoming impatient, turned around to face the two.

  “Look, we have to hurry if we want to get out of here alive. Pretty soon there’ll be no hope for us.” She snapped. The two stared on in silence, eventually nodding in agreement and continuing on with their journey. However, Leon had some questions that needed answering.

  “Was that the intel you needed?” He asked Ada. She didn’t look back when she spoke to him.

  “Unfortunately no. Ben didn’t come through.” She told him. Leon processed what she had said before asking yet another question.

  “Well, what exactly are you looking for?” He asked.

  “More info on the people responsible for this mess.” She answered. Natalya froze in her tracks, suddenly remembering her mission. She was sure Ada knew as well, but she wasn’t going to say anything in front of Leon. Instead, she pushed past him to walk beside Ada, leaving him confused as he stood En garde.

  Ada glanced at the platinum blonde out of the corner of her eye. She did, indeed, recognize the girl. She was informed that she would be sent over to exchange information. The girl would give her more insight on Umbrella, as promised, and Ada would tell her whatever she found.

  She observed Natalya closely, noticing that she was a few years younger than herself. She walked with a certain confidence that not many girls her age would have. She was rather similar to Ada, in that respect. From a young age she had been confident in herself and oozed said confidence, and it showed even then… in the midst of a damn apocalypse.

  Ada knew why Natalya had walked over, but she wasn’t ready to exchange just yet.

 


	7. Chapter 7

    Warm lips ghosted his own as he stared into her eyes. Her hand grasped tightly at his, holding him closer to her. She looked terrified; she didn’t want to leave him. Sirens went off, echoing in the underground tunnels, yet they sounded distant. It was nothing but white noise, serving as a background to their goodbyes. Red lights flashed, illuminating their expressions and exaggerating the shadows on their faces. Her eyes glistened with tears.

  She closed them, tears streaking down her cheeks and leaving shining lines in their absence. She suppressed a sob as she leaned in, gently pressing her lips to his. He was stunned at first, despite expecting this action, she just seemed so… hurt. His other hand made its way to the back of her head and he pulled her closer to him, kissing her back with a feverish passion. She slid her hand from his and made her way to the tips of his fingers, flipping his hand over with her thumb and forefinger. She laid her hand flat against his palm and let something go in the center of it before closing his hand around the object, then, she moved away from him. He looked down at his palm.

  “A gift from Ada to me. I’m giving it to you.” She began, closing his hand around it again. He looked back up at her. Her makeup was running now, and he could tell she was scared. All it took was one glance at her, and he knew.

  “Keep it safe, make sure no one gets to it. Sove, Umbrella, it’s all the same. Please, Leon… I’m trusting you to do the right thing.” She finally sobbed, collapsing into the crook of his neck. His arms instinctively wrapped around her as she wept.

  “Envy.” He began. She looked up at him, shaking her head.

  “Nat.” She revealed. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before the look finally softened into a friendlier one. He smiled at her, feeling his chest swell with happiness as she finally opened up to him. Yet it was a bittersweet happiness that filled his own eyes with tears. He knew that she probably wouldn’t have been so open if she weren’t afraid for her life.

  “Nat.” He confirmed before going on.

  “Please come with us. There’s enough time, we can make it.” He begged. She looked up at him with glistening eyes again.

  “I can’t. You know I can’t.”

  “Five minutes until detonation.” A voice echoed. She looked up before going to move past Leon. He grabbed her arm.

  “You can’t go. First Ada and now you.” He said to her. She merely smiled.

  “I have to. You won’t be safe if I come with you.” She explained. Leon didn’t have the time to think about this. Instead, he pulled her close and kissed her one last time. When he let go of her, she took off. Not another word was spoken between the two, and he was left wondering about what could have been.

2

 

   _Shortly after the events in the sewers, and after Ada had been patched up by Leon, we met in secret. Leon had gone off to do something, leaving us behind. She looked at me with her mysterious brown eyes and a smirk on her face._

_She addressed me by my codename, the name I had given to Leon. But, instead of using it as my name; as in just saying “Envy” she had said “Agent Envy” and I knew that she was aware. I nodded in response, and she grabbed her jacket, muttering something about hoping Leon hadn’t lost the flash drive. She handed me the drive and I quickly placed it in my vest, in one of the pockets on the inside._

_I believe she knew of Sove’s affiliation with Umbrella, seeing as she immediately advised that I hold the information for ransom. It was an odd idea to me at first, and of course I answered truthfully to her. I told her that I didn’t think I should, they knew who I was and that they’d have me taken out. I even told her that my life would have been in danger as it was if I didn’t obtain the flash drive. She shook her head at my response._

_“It’s a shame.” She said to me, her voice soft yet slightly condescending. I asked her why._

_“You would have been a great free agent.” She explained. I didn’t think about it much, but as the night went on I’d realize that she was right about that. I had my own morals and beliefs, they were unwavering, and I couldn’t be swayed, even by Sove, my own agency. When on the field, you see a lot of things, and even at my young age, I felt I had already seen it all. I had determined what was right and what was wrong on my own, despite all the conditioning I had suffered through as a child._

_I wanted to help people; I always had. I never got the chance to, you see, but I knew that if I were to get out of Raccoon City alive, I’d fight for the other young girls like me: captured at a young age and groomed to become killers and seductresses._

_Sove was the real enemy. And it took Ada’s wise words to help me realize that._

_And then Anette happened._

_Leon had come back with the G-Virus sample, I was relieved, as was Ada. I assumed that it was for different reasons than just wanting the sample, but I knew how close the three of us had become, so it wasn’t a surprise to me when she said that she didn’t want it to end that way. Leon had found out about Ada, and I could only pray that he didn’t find out about me. Selfish, I know, but I really felt a connection with him. I wouldn’t let my occupation get in the way of that; in the way of a future I felt I could have._

_They argued, she proclaimed that she was just doing her job, and Leon agreed, countering with the fact that he was just doing his. I watched on nervously, my hand on the handle of my handgun, silently praying I wouldn’t have to use it. When I heard a gunshot go off I panicked. I thought it was mine, despite not being quite loud enough to have come from my side. I looked up to see Ada grasping at her bleeding shoulder._

_The earth quivered again, causing the walkway to give. I watched in horror as Anette collapsed and the walkway gave in. Leon dropped the G-Virus sample, its blue glow radiated in the dark of the cavern below. The two slid down, and I held onto the railing closest to the elevator, ready to run and save myself. I had what I needed, I could have left. But I didn’t. I was determined to leave with the people I had grown to care about._

_Ada dropped into the darkness, and the ground shook once more._

_“Leon!” I screamed out. He looked up at me, and he seemed glad that I waited for him, leaving me wondering if he thought I was going to leave him at the first sign of danger down there. He began to pull himself up, and I rushed down the steps, getting as close as I could to him in order to help. I grabbed his hand and helped pull him up._

_I could see it in his eyes: regret… sadness. I felt bad for him, and the lack of emotion on my part did not mean I didn’t feel the same way he did. I was kind of devastated over the loss of Ada. She was a wonderful woman, one I felt I could have looked up to._

_After she had fallen, on the elevator ride to our next destination, I determined that I would do as she said and become a free agent. I was going to be in control of my life again._

_All the possibilities filled my head as I thought of reunions with my family, a life outside of Sove. Perhaps Leon could have been involved._

_The elevator doors opened and we exited. I followed Leon to wherever we had to go._

_Then I saw him, out of the corner of my eye. The Man._

3

 

 

  He was behind her again, walking silently, stalking. She picked up her pace again, even though she knew that this was the end for her. She wanted to go with Leon. She wanted to live to see another day. She just wanted to live her life.

  She began to run.

  He didn’t go any faster. He moved with confidence, it was almost as if he knew he’d catch up with her.

  He was right about that. She was running out of places to run to; she’d have to start hiding soon.

  She tried to open a door to her left, but realized that it was locked. There was a door ahead on her right, but it was also locked. She was approaching a dead end, and all the windows were too high up for her to reach. This man wasn’t like the Tyrant that had followed her and Leon in the RPD; he was silent and calculating. He seemed to know the area well and knew where each hallway was, where each locked door was. For all Natalya knew, it could have been a trap laid out by him.

  As she went to turn around, she ran into his chest with enough force to knock her back. He reached out, his cold, leather clad hands grabbing at her arms, pressing into the wounded flesh of her left arm. She hissed out in pain, but the man did not react. Instead, he turned her around, placing a cloth over her mouth. She was out in a matter of seconds.


	8. Chapter 8

  Leon, after realizing that he had read enough, closed the folder and slid it toward the middle of his dining room table. It was hard for him to accept that she sacrificed herself for them. He should have known. That was why she handed over the information so easily, that’s why she refused to go with them. Whoever was chasing her down was bent on killing the people who had survived, but they weren’t like the Tyrant that Leon had encountered. Whoever took her; whoever killed her… they knew what they were doing. They got to choose whether they wanted to kill her or not.

  He stood and remained in the same spot for a few moments, his hands placed on the table as he thought. He still had the drive, he just couldn’t remember where he put it. Nearly seven years had gone by, and he had moved from place to place quite a few times in those years, and yet he kept the flash drive Nat had given him. He placed it in a box, a wooden box, with a painting of a Raven on it. There were quite a few things in that box, like a few stray bullets and scraps of cloth, but those were used to cover up the flash drive. Now, all he had to do was remember where the hell he put the damn thing.

  A dull blue flooded through the blinds and began to light up the room. Dawn was breaking outside and people all across the city were waking up to go to work. Leon moved into the living room and turned off the lamp, despite it not being bright enough outside for him to see what he was doing. He knelt down and looked under the couch, running his hand along the underside of it to check for holes in the fabric. He had found a few, but when he reached in he felt nothing but springs.

  Next was beneath his coffee table, which, despite him knowing that he wouldn’t hide it in plain sight like that, he searched anyway. Nothing came from that either.

  Cars honked outside as traffic finally began to build up. The streets were getting busier and busier, coming to life as the morning dragged on. Leon searched through the cabinets in his kitchen, and above doorways. He looked behind picture frames and in hollowed out books. Nothing. He found nothing.

  Exhaustion began to catch up with him; he had been up all night reading. His eyes felt heavy and his thoughts were clouded. He wanted to find the drive, but he knew that he had to get to bed soon. However, after finding her dead on a pile of scrap metal and garbage, the least he could do was send the flash drive to someone he knew would use it for good. He ran his fingers through his hair, pushing his bangs out of his face as he thought of the other places the box could be.

  He made his way to his room, where he was sure the box had to be. He looked in his closet, in his dresser, nightstand. He searched under his bed and felt around to make sure he didn’t tape it underneath, but found nothing once more. He felt his frustration melt away into guilt and remorse. He knew he didn’t leave it at his last place, it was in the car with him when he moved. He remembered bringing it into the house with him, but he kept it on the table until he brought his mattress in.

  Then it clicked.

  He flipped his mattress over and saw the hole in it. He reached in and took out the box, opening it quickly and moving the bullets and cloth out of the way.

  The flash drive sat there, gleaming in all its glory. Leon took it out and stared at it, unable to find the words to explain how relieved he was. It was still there, he still had it, and now he was going to give it away. It was finally time for him to let go.

  He knew exactly who he’d give it to. He trusted her to pass it along to the right people.

  He grabbed the phone that sat on his nightstand and dialed her number, waiting anxiously for her to pick up.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey Claire, it’s me, Leon. I uh, I found this thing and I thought your brother could use it.”

  The other line went silent for a few moments.

  “I’m on my way.”

 

2

 

  The world was blurry and bright.

  Natalya had woken up on the floor of some sort of room. It was empty and white, with nothing but a window with one-sided glass on the wall across from her. It was cold and smelt of disinfectant as well as another smell that Nat couldn’t quite identify.

  She stared at herself in the glass. Never in her life had she been more scared than she was then, yet she didn’t show it. Instead, she looked on as if the world’s most boring show was on. She wanted to get out of there, but she’d have to wait. She had to see how they worked here and then go off of that, but until someone came in, and until she endured whatever torture they were going to deal on her, she couldn’t figure out a plan.

  As she thought of her many ways of escaping, a loud buzzing noise boomed through the room. A red light above the door flashed as it opened.

  A woman stepped through the door, and closed it, which turned off the flashing light. She was a woman of medium height, with dirty blonde hair that she wore in a ponytail. She walked up to Nat, holding a clipboard close to her chest with her left hand and a syringe gripped tightly in her right. The syringe took on a greenish look, and the contents from within splashed slightly as the woman approached. Nat studied her face as she got closer, looking for any signs of humanity; looking for a weakness to exploit so she could get the hell out of there.

  Her vision was still a bit blurry, no doubt a side effect from the chemical used to knock her out, but there was something familiar about this woman. The way she glared at Nat, the way she carried herself, how quiet she had been since showing up. Nat couldn’t put her finger on it, but she had seen her before.

  She leaned toward Nat, still glaring, circling her and observing her closely. Nat looked into her eyes as she came back around to her front. She saw no emotion present anywhere on her. Her face was blank, but her eyes, her vivid green eyes, they held every emotion known to man. Anger and sadness, love and happiness, trust and jealousy.

  Fear struck through Nat as she realized what she was dealing with. The woman stopped glaring at her to write something down on her clipboard before she approached her again. Nat, despite her best efforts at remaining calm, flinched away from the woman’s hand. The woman did not react to this, instead she continued on, reaching for the bandage on Nat’s arm. Nat looked at her, shaking her head. It might have been stupid, but, to her, the bandage was all she had to remind her of Leon. That bandage was going to help her get through this so she could see her loved ones again.

  The woman removed it, unravelling it and throwing it off to the side before nodding and writing something down again. She stood up straight and turned around, and Nat clamored for the bandage. The woman glanced back at Nat, but did nothing about her actions. She looked at the one-sided glass before speaking.

  “Test subject #3: Subject has been exposed to the G-Virus, but I do not believe this will affect the reactions to the virus introduced. Project Haven is under way.” She stated, her voice clear and dominant as she announced her findings. She lifted the syringe and waited for a few moments as crackles from an intercom system interrupted the test.

  “And if this works? What then? Remember darling, we need her dead.” A voiced boomed. Natalya recognized the voice, it was emotionless. Her heartbeat quickened as she realized who it was, which led her to recognize the woman as well.

  “The virus is only at a nineteen percent success rate. Chances are she’ll react horribly, however, I have a solution in case it does work.” The man did not reply for a few moments.

  “Then proceed.” The woman approached Nat, who began to move backward, trying her best to keep away from the woman. She didn’t get too far before running into the wall. The woman reached out, grabbing Nat by her ponytail and moving her head to expose her neck. She thrust the needle into the soft flesh near the crook of her neck and pushed down, releasing the thick liquid into her bloodstream. Nat sat back, her hand pawing at her neck as the warmth from the substance spread throughout her body, numbing her senses and mind.

  The woman watched on as Nat realized that her throat had closed up. Her lungs began to burn as she gasped for air, air that wasn’t getting to her. She got up to her knees before collapsing to the ground, clawing at the woman’s feet and mouthing ‘help.’ The woman stared at her, her eyes, her vivid green eyes gleaming with amusement and joy. She wanted this to happen, and Nat soon realized she was doomed. She clawed at her throat and at her vest in vain.

  The gasping eventually stopped, and the woman turned around. The buzzing went off again as the door opened once more. The man stepped in and looked at Nat’s corpse.

  “Nineteen percent success rate, huh?” He asked. The woman smiled at him.

  “Not in this batch, I’ll tell you that.” She admitted. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but she wouldn’t be able to tell that.

  “So you did rig it?” He asked her. She scoffed.

  “Of course I did! You wanted her dead right? I looked at her medical records and found out that she was allergic to peanuts.” She exclaimed. He crossed his arms and nodded before attempting to leave.

  “I’ll send someone in to clean this up. Sove can’t find out about this.” He told her. However, instead of letting him leave, she turned him around. He looked into her angry eyes and felt nothing. He was stronger and faster than her, and he had trained her himself. There wasn’t anything she could do that he wouldn’t be prepared for.

  “I’m just warning you, I’m not going to clean up anymore of your messes like this. Umbrella’s going to find out, then they’ll tell Sove.”

  “Then we’ll leave Umbrella.” He offered.

  “Weren’t we going to do that anyway?” He went quiet. She rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, and, if I find out that you’ve cheated on me again, whether it was in the past or new, I’ll kill them in a worse way than this.” She threatened, gesturing to Natalya. He smiled at her and placed his hands on her hips.

  “I’m not dumb, you know this. I was in the other room Al.” She lamented. He said nothing. Instead, he placed a kiss on her forehead, trying his best to calm her. She didn’t know, and he wasn’t going to tell her about what happened a few years back. It wasn’t worth any of their time.

  “I love you, you know.” He told her. She smiled, trying to hold back tears. He hurt her this time, and she knew he’d probably do it again. In light of recent events, he hadn’t given her any reason to believe he wouldn’t. She loved him, and that’s what scared her.

  “I’m aware.” She laughed. He turned toward the door, his arm still around her waist, and they both left the room together.

  Natalya still laid on the cold floor… dead.

 

3

 

  Leon woke up one morning to the sound of his phone ringing.

  It had been several years since he gave the flash drive to Claire. She had sent it to Chris and the BSAA, who then focused on taking down Sove, who were still thriving after the fall of Umbrella. To Leon, taking down both Umbrella and Sove meant that Natalya hadn’t died in vain. The fall of Sove meant avenging her and freeing the other girls they turned into spies and weapons.

  “Hello?” He asked, his voice low and raspy.

  “Leon? It’s Chris. We have a job to do down in Dulvey. They want us to pick up Jolene West and Zoe Baker. Apparently Jolene’s been rejecting the serum.” Chris explained. Leon sighed and sat up.

  “I’ll be there in an hour.” He said before hanging up and placing his phone on the nightstand, next to the wooden box… and a framed picture of Natalya.

 


End file.
